Slow Cooker Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Roast - Tender and delicious pork roast slow cooked in a crockpot with a sticky balsamic brown sugar glaze. I love serving this pork roast over mashed potatoes or with steamed veggies and rice.

This pork roast is one of our favorite things to make in our house because it is so tender, flavorful and easy to make! Another reason why I love this balsamic pork roast is because it is a super budget friendly recipe. We make this meal at least once per week!
This recipe serves about 4 people, so if you are cooking for a crowd simply double the recipe. Store leftovers completely cooled in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. To reheat leftovers, just place in a saucepan over low heat until nice and warm.
Ingredients you need to make Balsamic Pork Roast:
pork roast - You can use a boneless pork shoulder or pork butt.
balsamic vinegar - You'll need balsamic vinegar to make the glaze.
apple cider vinegar - This will help the pork to tenderize while cooking.
brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar both work great in this recipe.
water - Added to the crockpot while the pork cooks.
soy sauce - I used low sodium soy sauce in this recipe, but regular soy sauce would also be great.
garlic clove - Fresh garlic is best in the glaze, but you can substitute ¼ teaspoon garlic powder in the glaze.
dry sage - I prefer dry sage over fresh in this recipe because it is rubbed on the outside of the pork prior to searing.
salt - I almost always use sea salt in my recipes, but you can use any salt you have on hand.
pepper - Fresh cracked black pepper or ground black pepper.
garlic powder - Make sure you are using garlic powder and not garlic salt.
What tools do I need to make the pork roast?
- Skillet - To sear the pork in.
- Tongs - For turning the pork while it sears.
- Slow Cooker - To slow cook the pork roast in.
- Small Saucepan - For making the balsamic glaze once the pork is done cooking.
How to make Slow Cooker Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Roast:
Step 1 - In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp dry sage, 1 tbsp brown sugar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ½ tsp garlic powder. Rub the pork on all sides with this mixture.
Step 2 -Sear the roast. Over high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to a cast iron skillet (or whatever skillet you have on hand). Once the skillet is very hot, carefully add the pork roast and sear on each side for about 10-15 seconds until a nice crust forms.
Step 3 - Transfer pork roast to a crockpot along with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup water. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. When done, pork will be very tender and pull apart easily with a fork.
Step 4: About 15 minutes before you are ready to eat the roast, make the balsamic glaze. Add ½ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 minced clove of garlic to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce thickens and turns into a glaze, stirring frequently, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 5: Remove pork from the crockpot and serve with the balsamic glaze.
Try serving this Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Roast on toasty buns for a delicious sandwich.
How To Make Pork Roast in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker):
Follow the instructions above for slow cooking and make the following changes: Sear the roast on the "sauté" setting. Then, cook on "manual" or "meat/stew" setting for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
Side dishes to serve with pork roast:
Creamy Mashed Potatoes - Easy, creamy, buttery mashed potatoes sprinkled with fresh parsley.
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts Sweet Potatoes & Bacon - Sautéed brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes tossed with crispy bacon, sweet cranberries and toasted pine nuts.
Spinach Apple Salad - Easiest healthy salad made with spinach, apples, cranberries, walnuts, cheddar cheese chunks and pepitas served with homemade honey mustard dressing.
Honey Roasted Whole Carrots - Whole carrots seasoned with honey, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and fresh dill roasted to perfection in the oven.
More delicious slow cooker recipes I think you'll love:
Slow Cooker Pork Roast Chili - Pork roast pinto bean chili cooked low and slow in a crockpot/slow cooker. This is the easiest, most delicious pork chili ever and it more than exceeded my expectations!
Crockpot Italian Meatballs - My crockpot meatballs are not only super easy and packed with flavor, but they are so tender and delicious and melt in your mouth with every single bite.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken - My super easy slow cooker (crockpot) bbq pulled chicken recipe is made with a delicious homemade sweet and slightly spicy barbecue sauce.
Slow Cooked Tender London Broil - This London broil recipe is super easy and absolutely melt in your mouth delicious. The flavor is slightly sweet but mostly savory. If you are looking for a tender, pull-apart London broil recipe that takes very little effort from start to finish, look no further!
Slow Cooker Balsamic Brown Sugar Pork Roast
Equipment
- crockpot
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb. pork loin roast
- 1 tsp dry sage
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
Balsamic Glaze
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine sage, brown sugar, salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Rub the pork on all sides with this mixture.
- Over high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to a cast iron skillet (or whatever skillet you have on hand). Once the skillet is very hot, carefully add the pork roast and sear on each side for about 10-15 seconds until a nice crust forms.
- Transfer pork roast to a crockpot along with apple cider vinegar and water. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. When done, pork will be very tender and pull apart easily with a fork.
- About 15 minutes before you are ready to eat the roast, make the balsamic glaze. Add all balsamic glaze ingredients to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce thickens and turns into a glaze, stirring frequently, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove pork from the crockpot and serve with the balsamic glaze.
Notes
Instant Pot (pressure cooker) Instructions:
Follow the instructions above for slow cooking and make the following changes: Sear the roast on the "sauté" setting. Then, cook on "manual" or "meat/stew" setting for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.If you tried this recipe, please don't forget to leave a review! Thanks for stopping by!
Tori Miller
Fantastic!!!! We used a Shoulder Butt to save money and it worked great. I think this recipe would be good with any cut. Garlic mashed potatoes and peas from the garden.
Thanks
Debbie Simmons
I made this tonight and it was incredible!! We loved the glaze too. I served mashed potatoes and made a gravy from the roast dripping, soo god! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making this again.
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Debbie! I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe! :)Amanda
Sara
Can this be made using an instapot?
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Sara! Yes, sear the roast on all sides using the sautée setting. Then, cook for 30 minutes on "Manual" or "Meat/Stew" setting. Allow pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes. :)Amanda
Mary
was good, didn't care for the balsamic reduction - too sweet - good on its own.
Heather T
I made this in a multicooker. I was able to crisp up the roast in it on the sautee setting. Then used it as a pressure cooker and cooked the roast for 25min on the poultry setting. The meat is juicy and tender. Served with sweet potatoe slices, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
Delicious!
Sheryl
this was incredible . My husband and I loved it. and i took to work a little too. Everyone wanted the recipe! i served it with roasted brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Sheryl! Thank you so much for the review. I am so happy you and your husband loved it! :)Amanda
Lisa
Can you eat this cold?
Pat
Hi, with weather starting to get really cold this sounded like a great meal. I followed directions and my roast was wrapped so there was a lot of hidden FAT. But,the flavor was still good. The only thing I did not care for was the reduction using balsamic. Too much for me. My buds are a picky lot! lol Will continue making pork roast using your recipe. Thank you for sharing. Pat
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Pat!! Thank you so much for review. :)Amanda
Jeanette
If you add potatoes and carrots at what point would you add the,?
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Jeanette, you can add potatoes and carrots about half way through. :)Amanda
Vicky
We really enjoyed this...different from normal BBQ type sauce for pork, which I only like occasionally. For the glaze I used strawberry balsamic dressing from Kraft instead of plain balsamic vinegar, and added a wee bit more soy sauce and brown sugar. I also added garlic powder in addition to the minced garlic. 5 thumbs up!
Elaine
I made this and it was delicious, however, my "glasze" never became a a glaze. It stayed very watery. I even ended up adding cornstarch to thicken it, which helped a little bit.
Cathy
I have made this twice and both times it was a huge hit!! Very easy and tasty!! Thanks for this!!
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Cathy! I am so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
angie
this was so easy and so delicious
i put mine on high and went to work for 6 hours then put on warm when i got home. it fell off the bone which the dogs enjoyed.
thanks so much for this recipe
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Angie, I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 -Amanda
julia
great